I’m interrupting my Nomtastic Thanksgiving recipe series to bring you this week’s Forky Friday links—but don’t let me sidetrack you from planning your Turkey Day menu! My Butterflied Big Bird, Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Asian Citrus Dressing, and Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce are an excellent start, but a few other recipes on the Internets have raised my eyebrows—chief among them J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Sous Vide Deep Fried Turkey Porchetta. (Of course, as a self-respecting cavelady, I’d fry the porchetta in animal fat or ghee, and I’d omit the flour from the gravy).
And as for leftovers, Stupid Easy Paleo’s Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich is the only way to go, don’t you think?
Okay, enough turkey talk. Let’s get to the links!
The Incredible Edible Egg
Despite buying dozens of eggs every week from Good Eggs, it doesn’t take long for our family to finish ’em.
This isn’t a surprise. Eggs are one of my favorite nutrient-packed foods, and I love that my boys wake up to a plate of them every morning. (The kids’ standard breakfast: mushroom omelets or scrambled eggs. Henry, meanwhile, has his sunny-side up.)
Don’t believe that eggs—yolk and all—are good for you? Then read this new piece by Paul Jaminet, in which he busts some myths about the healthfulness of eggs.
Sustainable Farming in My ‘Hood
I was delighted to spot this article in the New York Times this week, featuring some of my hands-down favorite sustainable farmers and purveyors in the San Francisco Bay Area, from Leftcoast Grassfed and Early Bird Ranch to the aforementioned Good Eggs.
They’re all working together to raise meat, poultry, and eggs the right way—and making money, too. The point is that sustainable farming isn’t just good for health and the environment, but it can be a profitable enterprise, too. Win-win!
Not Your Average Meatheads
To outsiders, it may seem like an unlikely pairing, but I personally can’t think of a better marriage than CrossFit boxes and meatshares. This article by Modern Farmer quotes my buddy Diana:
According to Diana Rodgers, farmer and Paleo nutritionist, CrossFit members could be vital for the future of sustainable agriculture. “If every gym had its own food ambassador, a way of connecting with their local food source,” she says, “it could cut out so much consumption of industrial foods.”
Rodgers consults with CrossFit gyms all around Boston, preaching the gospel of Joel Salatin and Allan Savory (heavy hitters in the grass-fed meat movement). This may seem like heady stuff for gyms full of hardbodies, but Rodgers says her pupils are eager. “These aren’t your typical gym guys, working out until they puke in the corner,” she says. “These people are paying a lot of attention to what they put in their bodies.”
American Weightlifting
I don’t care if you’ve ever touched a barbell in your life—you need to watch American Weightlifting, the new documentary by Greg Everett—a.k.a. coach and owner of the world-famous Catalyst Athletics, husband, dad, publisher of the Performance Menu, author of numerous books (including Olympic Weightlifting), web designer, co-host of Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution podcast, and now filmmaker.
I’m not just praising Greg’s film because I am the Asian version of his wife. (Except that she’s ten times stronger and funnier.)
Greg directed, shot, edited, scored, and basically everything-ed this movie himself, and it looks amazing. The documentary draws you in, shining a light on the perseverance and sacrifices of the incredible athletes and coaches in a sport that’s virtually invisible in America.
A few weeks ago, over dinner with Greg, Aimee, Charles, and Jules, I asked him why he works so hard. “So I can support Aimee’s Lululemon habit,” he deadpanned.
So go get yourself a copy of American Weightlifter and make sure my buddy Aimee never has to wear ratty gym clothes again.
Your Food Makes Chinese Kids Vomit
I know that I poke fun at unfamiliar foods from Asia sometimes (like, say, last week)—and let’s face it: Virgin Boy Eggs are gross—but it’s a two-way street. People in China think American food is equally bizarre.
American blogger Nonomella is currently teaching English to 10-year old students in China, and decided to expose them to the wonders of American regional cuisine. Check out her PowerPoint slides featuring her students’ reactions to everything from Cracker Jack to cornbread.
Apparently, Chinese kids are fans of thin-crust New York pizza…and despise deep-dish Chicago style pizza as much as John Stewart does.
From Offal to Octopus
I can’t wait to devour Dana Goodyear’s new book, Anything That Moves: Renegade Chefs, Fearless Eaters, and the Making of a New American Food Culture. In it, she reports on a plethora of food subcultures at the front edge of American cuisine—and the chefs that are leading the charge with groundbreaking methods, techniques, and ingredients.
I knew this would be a good read as soon as I spied this conversation on Salon between Goodyear and Iron Chef America champ Ed Lee, and caught this description of her dream scratch ‘n sniff book cover:
“It’s got to be Laurent Quenioux’s marijuana pesto congee with monkfish cheeks fried in “green” coconut oil: like a Jamaican beach, pot smoke and Bain de Soleil.”
Yum?
Spray-Dried Cheese Powder
Once upon a time (in high school), my lunches consisted of a bag of Cheetos, chased down with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. My, how things have changed—which explains why this article about the manufacture of powdered cheese is both fascinating and horrifying to me.
Nigel Slater’s Tips
I’ve got quite a few of British food writer Nigel Slater’s cookbooks on my shelf—they’re all gorgeously designed and beautifully photographed, and I love that his recipes are always simple and approachable.
So naturally, I was tickled to see that The Kitchn recently posted a piece entitled “Nigel Slater’s Short and Charming 5 Essentials for the Home Cook." My favorite tip is No. 2: When making a stew, casserole or curry, prepare them the night before, to give them to time to gather their thoughts. Their flavours will mellow and settle down.
(Adding a "u” in “flavours” makes it much more delicious, don’t you think?)
Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back
As a nightshift-working, drug-dealing mom of two who needs to sleep in a pitch black cave during the day, even blackout curtains and an eye mask weren’t enough to block out all the light pollution.
But a few weeks ago, I was offered a solution that has CHANGED MY LIFE. I got an acrylic blackout panel from Indow Windows that was custom-fitted for my bedroom window, and now, not a single insidious photon of light seeps into my room from the great outdoors. I’ve never slept better—day or night—and I can’t stop raving about it.
What does this have to do with Paleo? BusinessWeek just ran an article about how these innovative panels are winning over early adopters among the Paleo community who recognize the importance of maximizing sleep quality—starting with yours truly!
(And yeah, I’m posting a link to the article because I got a kick out of being called a “bodhisattva to the Paleo world.” The honorific is totally undeserved, but I’ll take that over being labeled a “mommy blogger” any day.)
Click here to learn more about Indow Windows. (And no, I wasn’t paid to gush about these blackout panels—I’m just a huge fan.)
Since I’m Already Tooting My Own Horn…
I’m honored and humbled to be included among Greatist’s 50 Bloggers Making a Difference in Fitness, Health, and Happiness, along with awesome folks like Mark Sisson, Danielle Walker, Lexi Kornblum, and Sean Croxton, Check out the complete list here!
Help!
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m throwing a cookbook release party on Saturday, January 4th in San Francisco! (And if you didn’t already know: my cookbook’s going to be available beginning December 17—just a few weeks from now—so I hope you’ve pre-ordered!)
My lovely caterer is the uber-talented Chef Simone Shifnadel of Zenbelly, and she’ll be making brunch-inspired bites for the party. Simone’s looking for volunteers with front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house experience to help out at the event, so if you’re interested, please shoot an email to Simone at zenbellysf [at] gmail [dot] com with your relevant experience and contact information. Each volunteer who works at the party will get free food, a signed cookbook, and exclusive swag!
Stay tuned for more about the party, my book tour, and all the exciting stuff I have in store for you as we approach our cookbook’s release date—and thank you for all the support you’ve given me through this entire process. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Looking for recipes? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPad® app, and in my cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel, December 2013).
